


It Always Rains On Wednesdays

by nanosorcerer



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: As you can tell, Fluff, I have no love lost on the avengers, Infinity War AU, IronStrange, M/M, Mention of Peter, New love, No Snap, Stephen still saw the 14 million where he falls in love with Tony, Stephen would wait a thousand years for him, Tony dealing with his funky left arm, Tony's still trying to figure Stephen out, Unrequited Crush, and I won't forgive them, and how much Tony loves his disaster child, but he obviously can't tell him that, my boy being Tiny Star, so they're taking their friendship slowly, the man is so hard to read, they done my boy wrong countless times, unrequited at the moment anyway, where they defeat Thanos at the end of IW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:55:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21634738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanosorcerer/pseuds/nanosorcerer
Summary: Infinity War AU where they defeat Thanos at the end of the movie. No Snap. Tony and Stephen meet up secretly to discuss a collaboration between the Avengers and the New York Sanctum, which turns into a breakfast date.
Relationships: Tony Stark & Stephen Strange, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Comments: 67
Kudos: 374





	1. Wednesday

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually pretty happy with this. It's just a quiet, surreal snapshot of my soft boys in the turmoil of their lives...
> 
> I may or may not have drawn upon the phone=heart metaphor from BBC Sherlock meta, but ignore that if you want…
> 
> AU where they defeat Thanos at the end of Infinity War. Stephen still saw 14,000,605 possibilities. No Snap.
> 
> Inspired by the morning I had this past Wednesday at 7:00 am, walking to the bus stop in a light rain after getting four hours of sleep. It felt like transportive moment that I knew I had to put Tony in. Too bad I was going to a politics lecture instead of meeting up to have coffee with a handsome sorcerer lmao I know I should have been working on 'I Knew You For A Day' but this snippet of a story grabbed me and pulled me back into a creative flow so it's okay

Tony felt the drops of rain on the back of his neck before he noticed them darkening the pavement. The growing rain had gone unnoticed by the billionaire as a light breeze cloaked the unexpected drops, impeded by the occasional mottled canopy of a small, sidewalk-caged tree. Tony turned his collar up as the wind kicked up, the last remnants of the autumn leaf fall dancing down the sidewalk and around his feet. Seven a.m. had never felt so late, as insomnia had him up for three hours already, and he yawned against the wind as a foggy haze pushed behind his eyes heavily, but it was nothing he wasn’t used to. The grey dawn was welcome, warmer than it should have been at this time of year, but still cold enough to warrant a good coat. The trees thinned out as Tony left the park side street, giving way to parking meters and cars lining the road on both sides. He spotted their planned meeting place with relief, the Starbucks logo hanging loftily above the sidewalk like a godsend. To his surprise, Stephen was waiting for him outside the storefront, two steaming cups in hand.

“How do you know how I take my coffee?”, Tony asked almost testily in way of a greeting. His heart had actually jumped a little seeing that tall, sturdy silhouette that was already familiar, but sleep deprivation and a broken coffee maker this morning had set his nerves on edge. A gloved hand shoved the coffee at him with a small frown. 

“You’re not as hard to figure out as you think, Stark”, the sorcerer countered, almost bored. 

“You’ve got me all figured out, have you?”Tony regretted his words as he took a sip of his usual double espresso cappuccino, shivering suddenly against the cold. “Sure you don’t want to head inside?” Stephen cocked a brow.

“Not unless you want to be bombarded by your fawning public. There were a bunch of teenage girls staked out in the back corner, and I doubt they were there for me.” The sorcerer’s tone wasn’t implying any passed judgment, but Tony frowned defensively nonetheless. 

“Thought it was about time. I’m going to have to go to the one on 6th for a while. Too risky to become a regular anywhere these days.” Stephen nodded understandingly, though he couldn’t empathize.

“What was the purpose of meeting here, then?” Tony shuffled his feet in an attempt to warm up as he took another sip, eyeing the sorcerer’s red scarf almost enviously.

“Thought it would be best to meet on neutral turf, ya know? Nothing against you, Doc, but you can never be too careful with who’s got an edge on who.” He grinned, making the sorcerer realize how nervous Tony was. “I wouldn’t do you the disservice of inviting you to the compound, anyway. Don’t know about your lot, but my guys would have been on you like vultures to roadkill.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’d prefer if we could discuss this somewhere other than the sidewalk.” Stephen sniffed in the cold. “I can assure you there aren’t any ambushes waiting at the Sanctum.” The sorcerer watched as Tony went through a series of arguments with himself in the span of a few seconds, passing by resignation and landing on his usual below-surface wariness. 

“Uh, how’s about we head to the cafe down the street?”

“Hungry?”, Stephen asked.

“No. Just don’t want anyone getting suspicious about me heading into Merlin’s house of magic.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not a wizard?”, Stephen jabbed lightly as he followed Tony down the sidewalk. He frowned slightly when there was no response from the other man. Tight frown lines marked Tony’s face as he glanced down at his phone, dodging a puddle as he stormed down the sidewalk, not worried about the sorcerer keeping up as his stride was significantly larger. “Stark?”

Tony looked up from his phone distractedly, brow pinched severely. Stephen found himself noticing how the fine mist of rain drops darkened his greying hair.

“Yeah? What’s up, Doc?”

“Are you having second thoughts?”, Stephen asked, upper body swivelling as he dodged someone’s passing umbrella, falling in behind Tony momentarily. “We can call off the whole thing if you are. No hard feelings.” He resumed his former position as the shorter man craned his neck slightly, with annoyance no doubt, to fix the sorcerer with a steely glare.

“I don’t back out of deals. Besides, I’m the one who came to you, wasn’t I?” Stephen tried to backpedal a little. He was usually pretty lackadaisical about preserving other people's feelings, but he didn’t want to get on Tony’s bad side.

“Just seems like you have something on your mind, is all.” 

Tony proved his point by nearly colliding with someone coming towards them on the sidewalk, phone slipping from his hand in the process. There was an alarming crack as glass hit pavement, Tony swearing as he stooped to retrieve the Stark phone out of a shallow puddle on the sidewalk.

“For God’s sake-.”

“Here, let me.” Stephen took the phone while passing his coffee to Tony, turning the phone over for signs of cracks. “Pretty durable”, he commented idly, golden static sparking from his gloved fingertips as he ran a hand over the screen. The movement was subtle, beads of moisture being drawn from within the phone, dripping down onto the damp pavement. He passed it back to Tony, ignoring the wary look he received as he took his coffee back. “Just removed the water from it, not that much got in”, he explained as Tony studied it.

“I’ve got tech for that, but thanks.”

“I understand your hesitation about accepting magic, that it exists or at all. Trust me, I used to be the same.” Tony inspected his phone with a sideways grin, shoving it into his coat pocket for good measure.

“Well, I’m not so close-minded, it’s just…different.” He drew his collar closer around his jaw, blocking out the wind and the sorcerer’s icy stare. “Like I said, I came to you. It’s important to accept that magic is a thing that will become useful and necessary, especially if we ever have to face anything worse than…what we’ve already dealt with.”

“Right”, Stephen replied, trying unsuccessfully to sound detached. “Smart tactical move on your part.” Tony snorted before taking another sip of coffee.

“Not everyone sees it like that. I tried to casually mention it to Steve and he got all up on my back about it, how magic and what we do should stay separate. So, you see why I thought meeting at a Starbucks would be better than either of our places.”

“Yeah, for sure.”

“Nothing against you personally”, Tony clarified. 

“Good to know.” 

The sorcerer’s self conscious grin threw Tony off, hiding the reflexive twitch of his mouth behind his coffee cup. They reached the cafe Tony had mentioned, the billionaire pulling the door open for Stephen who inclined his head slightly before Tony followed him in out of the rain. He found himself quickly overheating in the warmth of the homey cafe, unbuttoning his coat with one hand as he shook the water off his coat onto the welcome mat, surveying the room for a secluded, empty table. A few young play writes and an older couple at the side tables were the only other patrons on the early cloudy morning that had seemingly sent half of New York into hiding.

“Shall we?”, Tony asked, gesturing to a corner table near the front window, not waiting for Stephen’s verbal response as he walked over and pulled the wood chair out with his aching left hand. Hiding his twitching digits in his coat pocket, Tony felt his cheeks flush with the overbearing heat of the cafe. The sorcerer felt too close when he sat down as well, Tony’s gaze being forced out onto the wet pavement, which glistened in the reflection of artificial light as he attempted to avoid eye contact. Stephen was taking his coat off and hanging it on the back of his chair, reminding Tony to do the same.

“Have you had breakfast?”, Stephen asked, without any of the usual pretence people normally asked Tony that question with. 

“Only if caffeine’s considered a major food group now.” He downed the remainder of his coffee in direct relation, noticing that Stephen had reluctantly peeled his gloves off, shaking hands wrapped around the lingering warmth of his coffee.

“In that case, I could do with something to eat.” Almost as if on cue, a young waitress came up to their table, blonde hair drawn up in the tired, messy bun of a university student on an early morning shift. 

“What can I get for you?”, she said, fighting an exhausted tone and then a blush when she recognized Tony. The billionaire ignored her reaction, ordering a black coffee before looking back out the window, aching left hand gripped in his right.

“I’ll get a green tea. And then we’ll take a look at the breakfast menu, please”, Stephen told her, earning a disapproving glance from Tony.

“I’m not eating anything”, he retorted as soon as the flustered waitress was out of earshot. Tony’s gaze quickly returned to watching the rain fall across the street, jumping when a woman with a bright yellow umbrella passed close by the cafe window. Stephen cocked his head slightly as he studied the man across from him, who noticed his gaze and met him with an affronted look.

“What?”

“Someone following you?”, Stephen asked sarcastically, straightening the salt and pepper shakers. 

“Not that I know of.”

Stephen blinked in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting a serious answer.

“For all I know, Steve has Nat tracking me like a good, little puppy.” If Stephen concentrated really hard, he could detect a trace of resentment and even fear under the usual layers of wariness surrounding everything that wasn’t Tony’s public facade. “That’s probably her.” Tony pointed with his nose to another cafe across the street, a redhead sipping coffee at the barstool window, sunglasses on despite the cloudy morning.

“And if she is?”, Stephen said, attempting to dissuade Tony’s paranoia, annoyed at it’s source more than anything. “You’re not committing a crime by sitting in a cafe with me. For all she knows, we’re just meeting up as friends.” This comment drew Tony’s attention away from the window, a dry smirk working it’s way through the grey haze of his now evident exhaustion.

“At seven in the morning?” Stephen shrugged as the waitress came, taking his tea and thanking her for the menus.

“I’m an early riser and you don’t sleep, evidently. She has to know that.” Tony didn’t respond, just sipped his scalding coffee as though he was desensitized to the burning in his throat.

“Either way, hells knows I’ll be getting an earful next time I go to the compound.”

“If this is going to cause too much grief between you and your teammates, you can still back out.” Stephen arched a brow as he leafed through the breakfast menu. “I won’t hold you to it.” Tony frowned testily.

“You seem to be the one who wants to back out, Doc. You keep giving me an out, but maybe you’re regretting our agreement.” Stephen folded the menu calmly and fixed Tony with a gaze that was too steady, too calm.

“I just want to make sure you don’t feel pressured.” Tony opened his mouth to speak, but no words came, for once. He closed his mouth and sipped too much of his coffee again, the heat making his eyes water.

“I’m fine”, he said, obviously not fine, but Stephen didn’t push it. 

This was only the fourth time they’d seen each other since Titan, after all. It had almost been six months since the battle on the alien planet, but both men still wore that day clearly on their sleeves and faces. It was what had turned their acquaintanceship into carefully gravitating towards each other in the aftermath of near disaster, though Tony was still wary of the sorcerer’s motives. Not so wary that he avoided approaching him about a collaboration agreement, though. Combining the forces against physical and mystic threats seemed only logical now that the Avengers were aware of sorcerers’ existence, though Tony seemed to be the only one to think so. Forever thinking of the future, he had recently contacted Stephen about opening up two-way communication between the sorcerers of the New York Sanctum and the Avengers, in hopes that they could call upon each other for help when warranted. They’d done everything but work out the details that day two weeks ago in the Sanctum, so this meeting wasn’t technically necessary, but neither man had shied away from an opportunity to talk one-on-one. 

“Pick something”, Stephen said, shoving the other menu across the table at Tony who had been blatantly ignoring it.

“I don’t eat in the mornings, Doc.” 

“When was the last time you ate something?”, he asked, raising a patient brow in a way that actually made him look like a doctor for once. 

“Jeez, you’re worse than Rhodey”, Tony sighed in a way that wasn’t an insult, reluctantly grabbing the menu before gaping in horror. “Oh, god, they’ve got frittata.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Depends”, Tony said, which didn’t answer Stephen’s question much. They didn’t speak again until the waitress had come and taken their orders, after which Stephen cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“So, there was one issue that we might come across”, he started.

“What’s that?” Tony had zoned out again, attention caught by rain drops falling from the roof of the cafe across the road. He pulled himself back in with visible effort, leaning on one hand as he fixed Stephen with his tired, amber gaze.

“I realized just last night actually that our main obstacle with the whole team-up thing”, here he gestured between them,” -are some technological limitations to say the least.” Tony cocked a brow, interest piqued for the first time that morning.

“Weaponry wise or surveillance-?”

“Not quite. We take care of all of that with spells and runes. I was thinking more just basic communication between our two sides.” Tony squinted as he sipped his newly topped-up coffee.

“Communication”, he clarified. A small grin suddenly split over Stephen’s face as he leaned back in his chair slightly.

“Yeah. I don’t think Wong even owns a phone.” Tony grinned, more at the sorcerer relaxing than what he had said.

“Well, as long as we can get Wong out of the eighteenth century, then, I don’t think we’ll have to get too much more high tech than one of these.” He fished his Stark phone out of his coat pocket and placed it on the table. It was his basic street model, nothing fancy, not like the holographic model he liked to use in the lab. Stephen nodded after his split-second analysis.

“I think we can manage that”, Stephen said, suddenly noticing how much his hands were shaking. There was a beat of silence, rain now pattering steadily against the window. “Anything else new with you?”, he asked, very aware of the abrupt topic change.

“The wedding’s off”, Tony said, so casually that Stephen coughed on his tea.

“Yours?”, he asked dumbly, earning a warranted brow raise from Tony.

“Yeah, mine, asshole.” 

“I’m sorry. Do your- does the team know?” Stephen’s brow furrowed as he asked, confused at himself for the question he’d presented. It wasn’t as if he’d suddenly started caring about the Avenger’s opinions of anything.

“Why would I tell them? They’d probably take her side anyway.” Stephen nodded uncertainly, picking up his tea, then putting it back down without taking a sip.

“I - her side being?”

“I’m reckless”, Tony said bitterly and looked down at his coffee, silently willing the waitress to bring their food. How had the conversation landed on his personal issues? He could feel himself dissociating again and had to focus hard to not tune out the sorcerer's voice.

“You’re the least reckless person I’ve ever met. Self-sacrificial and impulsive, sure, but not reckless. You calculate everything, you plan ahead for everything. This meeting signifies that more than anything. You’re teaming up with something you hate just because you think it will make the world safer for everyone.”

“I don’t hate magic.” Tony assured quietly, wrapping his cramping fingers around the warmth of his cup. “I don’t understand it. That’s not a preference, that’s ignorance.”

“I could teach you”, the sorcerer offered lightly, prompting a grin from Tony as he had hoped.

“Can you imagine?” Tony’s eyes sparkled with imaginative excitement and Stephen thought that he had never seen something so beautiful. “God, my techy brain could never wrap itself around all that. I bet you we could make a magic powered reactor, though. That would be rad.”

“Definitely possible. We’ll only know if we try.” The waitress came with their food then and Stephen smiled at Tony through the steam from their plates, ducking his head as the waitress looked between them.

“Thank you, dear”, Tony said to her, charming public persona turned on like a switch had flipped.His fake smile fell as the flustered teen left, only to be replaced with a tired, but genuine one as he watched Stephen meticulously arranging his napkin on his lap. Tony’s hand cramped again as he unfolded his cutlery from his napkin, distracting himself by inhaling the aromatic steam rising from the vegetable frittata he’d ordered. It smelled like home. Home from a long time ago, at least. Abandoning his left hand completely, he discarded his knife and dug a clumsy chunk out of his meal with his fork. The savoury mix of egg, cheese, and sweet bell peppers covered his tongue with a delicious warmth and he forgot the aches in his body for a moment. Tony felt an assessing gaze flickering over him and he looked up to meet Stephen’ s twitch of a grin.

“Fritatta’s a comfort food for you, I take it?” Tony dropped his fork as he took a cleansing sip of coffee, pleasant, deep bitterness mixing in with the savoury lull.

“Possibly.” He jabbed an accusing fork at Stephen’s plate of strawberry crepes. “At least I’m not eating dessert for breakfast.” Stephen scoffed, but gentler than when they had first met.

“They’re basically pancakes.”

“Wow, food snob”, Tony sassed off-handedly, taking another mouthful of egg and peppers. He hadn’t eaten anything warm in about two days, and one of his favourite foods, especially well-cooked, was enough to make him purr in contentment. “This was a good idea.”

“You admit the human body needs food? I’m shocked.”

“Okay, you and Rhodey never get to hang out”, Tony assured jokingly, but he saw Stephen’s face fall a little under the half smile he gave. “I’m kidding, Doc. Actually, we’re having a guy’s night, or whatever you want to call it, this Friday at my place. You should come.” He ducked his head to take another bite because that was easier than meeting the sorcerer’s celestially-colored gaze. “Movies, drinks, pizza, all that. It’ll be fun.”

“And that’s just you and Rhodes?” Tony shook his head as he chewed.

“Happy too. He needs some guy time now that he’s got a girl.” Stephen blinked.

“A girl?”

“Oh, Pete’s aunt. Aunty hottie. May”, he corrected with a smirk.

“I had no idea. You and Peter have been holding out on me.” Tony nodded as he wiped his mouth on his napkin, clenching and unclenching his hand in a futile attempt to calm its tremors.

“That’s what I’m saying, Doc. You’re outta the loop, you know? We’ve gotta, uh…” Tony poked absently at a mushroom. “We’ve gotta get you in the loop. If you want.” Something in the sorcerer’s face softened, something Tony hadn’t seen since Titan, immediately after Stephen had looked at the 14,000,605 possibilities. He tried to hide his smile behind a sip of tea, but Tony caught it anyway.

“You’re sure they won’t mind? Rhodes and Happy, I mean. I wouldn’t want to impo-.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Doc. You’re more than welcome.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Stephen smirked as a thought came to him, watching Tony tuck back into his breakfast.

“That’s a thing you do, isn’t it?”

“I’ve been accused of doing a lot of things, Doc. You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“Nicknames”, Stephen explained, watching guarded brown eyes flicker up at him quickly. “Happy, Rhodey, Pepper”, he supplied, regretting the last addition. “You call me ‘Doc’ consistently, and I can’t even count the number of names you have for Peter.”

“Okay, there’s a trend”, Tony relented, still stiffer than he’d been moments ago.

“Sorry, it’s just interesting.” He didn’t want to make Tony uncomfortable. “Endearing”, he corrected, before chancing a risky question hidden in a joking tone. “First name basis too close for you?”

“The opposite, actually. I guess first name basis is too formal for people I actually care about, you know? I’ve never once called Rhodey ‘James’, and I forget what Happy’s real name is half the time”, he said, relaxing with a small chuckle. 

“People you care about”, Stephen mused, muttering into his tea as the smile lines around his eyes crinkled. Tony’s heart lurched. _Fuck._ Time to backpedal. Make a joke.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself there, Merlin. ‘Sides, we’re supposed to be talking business. I didn’t come here to be psycho-analyzed by a neurosurgeon.” Stephen’s returned chuckle was strained, but he didn’t seem concerned about dropping his facade.

“Fair enough. Though I swear it was an innocent observation.”

“Sure, it was.”

It took the rest of their meal and two refills each of coffee and tea for them to hash out the details of their collaboration arrangement, though there was an underlying feeling of doubt throughout the entire conversation. Tony hadn’t brought up the idea to the team past running it by Steve, which hadn’t gone well, to say the least. It seemed illogical to become invested in the fine components of a collaboration if there was still a good chance the Avengers wouldn’t take to it, but Tony was understandably hesitant to present a foreign idea to them without all the particulars sorted. He needed to be able to back himself up, with the cohesiveness of his own information if nothing else. Stephen had offered to come with him when he went to tell the team, for moral support if nothing else, and Tony had quickly declined. The last thing he wanted was for Stephen to get caught in the crossfire of the argument that was sure to break out once Tony brought up the subject. Steve would see it as a vulnerability. He always did. Anything that didn’t grant him 100% control was a bad idea in the captain’s books. Natasha would follow suit, backing Steve up, as usual. As oddly selfish as it sounded, Tony wanted to keep his newfound friendship with the sorcerer to remain untarnished, separate from the inevitable ugliness that came from any debate the Avengers had.  Stephen had seemed oddly subdued when Tony had turned down his offer to come along, and it wasn’t until Tony explained that it wasn’t personal that the sorcerer agreed with him. The last thing they needed was more controversy, as the others might feel like they were being teamed up on if both Tony and Stephen confronted them. That was how Tony had put it, anyway. Stephen couldn't see how two against nine was unfair.

“Is Peter going to be there?”, Stephen asked as he had a sudden thought, downing the last of his tea.

“Nah, I’m not dragging the kid into the ugly beginning stages of this. If we get past the beginning stages, that is”, Tony said, dragging a hand across his forehead, planting his elbows on the table as he stared down at his empty plate.

“Well, I’m not saying he should be part of the decision-making process. I mean, he’s smart enough, that’s for sure, but I don’t think it’s fair to put that on him.” Tony looked up at him tiredly, the bags under his eyes apparent as he pulled his hands down his face. 

“What are you getting at, Doc?” Stephen steepled his hands as he fixed Tony with a calm gaze.

“I’m suggesting he could be there to back you up if the rest of them are being unreasonable. I know they’ll see him as just a kid, but it might limit undue stress for you if he can give you a bit of support.”

“I’ll think about it.” Tony dropped his head again as he laughed bitterly. “God, six months and you’ve got them figured out better than I did in six years.” Stephen was taken aback by the tears glistening in dark brown eyes as Tony met his face. “Is it really that obvious that they’re a bunch of back-stabbing sons-of-bitches, or am I just that fucking dense?” The sorcerer’s brow furrowed, reaching a hand out.

“Tony-.”

“Can I get another refill for you?”, the waitress offered as she came and cleared their plates. “Or are you ready for the cheque?”

“I think we’re okay, thanks. The cheque would be good”, Stephen said with a small grin, turning back to Tony who had his face buried in his hands. He suddenly noticed the white knuckles on his left hand, squeezed so tightly into a fist that his whole body was shaking. “Hey, what’s going on with your hand?”

“Nothing”, Tony sniffed, head snapping up.

“Let me see”, the sorcerer rumbled gently, holding out his own shaking hand, palm up. There was a steady, but undeniable vulnerability in his eyes that Tony couldn’t quite put a single colour to, relinquishing his aching wrist from his own grip. Expert eyes, a doctor’s touch, both flitted over the limb that had never properly seen a medical exam and Stephen’s brow furrowed slightly. “Old injury, or…?”

“Yeah, something like that”, Tony muttered into the knuckles of his other hand, the metallic shards of discomfort running up his arm distracting him from how soft the pad of Stephen’s thumb was, pressed against the pulse racing in his inner wrist. A sudden, healing warmth spread through his arm, starting from under the sorcerer’s fingertips on his wrist, and Tony had to keep from gasping. It was near ecstasy, driving knives being replaced by honey-smooth heat and soothing, and Tony felt his entire arm relax before Stephen gently drew his hands away. He watched Tony take his arm back, turning it this way and that in his own grip, tentative, but a relieved grin grew on his face.

“I didn’t know you could do that”, he muttered in slight awe. Stephen looked uncertain now.

“It feels okay?”

“Better than it has in years. Was that just some sort of healing…spell…thing?” 

“Yeah, it was just to relax your nerves and muscles, so it’s not a fix, but…” He sat back in his chair a little, shifting, like he’d done something wrong. “You should probably get that checked out by a real doctor.”

“Probably”, Tony rasped, inclining his head as their waitress came with the cheque. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“The pin machine’s at the front if you need it”, she informed him out of habit, visibly cringing as she walked away. Stephen smiled sympathetically as she left.

“I can treat, unless-.”

“Don’t be absurd, Stephen”, Tony interrupted, snatching the cheque as he stood, letting his no longer aching hand brush a feather-light grip on the sorcerer’s shoulder as he passed. Stephen nearly stumbled over himself as he grabbed both of their coats from the backs of their chairs. 

_Stephen._

The sound of his name coming from the billionaire’s lips was foreign, but it felt like something that should have been happening all along. Stephen tried desperately to quell the feeling of his heart being squashed in his chest as Tony paid, leaving the waitress a $500 tip which caused her to visibly pale when she saw it.

“Thanks for putting up with us, hun”, Tony said as he took his coat from Stephen and they headed out onto the street. The rain was still pelting down at full tilt, the sorcerer hissing in an almost cat-like way as he conjured a large black umbrella, popping it out to hold above them. 

“Don’t you have some sort of clear magic umbrella that comes out of your wand, or some shit, like Harry Potter?”, Tony asked as he did the buttons of his coat up, arm brushing against Stephen’s as they huddled under the umbrella.

“Not that I _have_ a wand”, Stephen said pointedly, with a faux frown. “Yes, that is possible, but it draws too much attention.”

“And pulling an umbrella out of thin air doesn’t”, Tony drawled sarcastically as they headed down the sidewalk in the direction that they had come. Stephen only responded with a hum of acknowledgement, pulling the edge of his glove down to check the time.

“You have much planned for the rest of the day, then?”, he asked as casually as possible, loudly enough to be heard over the rain, and kept looking ahead as he tried to ignore how Tony kept bumping against him lightly as they walked.

“Uh, yeah, I guess. Meeting with a lawyer, right after this, actually. Pepper and I need to figure out how we’re divvying up all our shit, you know?”

“Wow, uh, sorry to hear it?”

“You’re terrible at comforting”, Tony informed him lightly. “Then I was probably gonna draw up some notes from today, not that I won’t remember all of it, Steve’s just a fan of documents, y’know? It appeals to his military brain-washing.” Stephen snorted lightly, making Tony chuckle with him. 

“I might do that as well. Wong’s not as anal, but he’s a big fan of things being put to paper, so that’ll probably be for the best.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t want you to be kicked out of the book cult.” He laughed again as Stephen elbowed him lightly. The rain thrummed pleasantly on their umbrella and both men could feel their body heat trapped around their heads where the waterproof fabric kept it in. “And I got the kid coming over this afternoon to work on some updates for his suit. I swear to god, that kid goes through suits like I make them out of tissue paper. You should have seen the hole he tore in it last week. You wanna know how he said it happened?”

“I can’t imagine”, Stephen rumbled, smile lines creased as he watched Tony’s eyes alight with a a sort of intense, protective love for his kid. 

“His foods class! Of all things. He was wearing the goddamned thing under his regular clothes and then him and Ted- Ed, what ever the hell his name is-.”

“Ned.”

“Right. He and Ned were trying to show off to the kid’s crush or whatever when they were chopping potatoes, and he-“, another disbelieving laugh wormed its way out of Tony’s chest and Stephen thought that he had never heard something so lovely. “He’s trying to do some fancy cutting thing and he ends up dropping the knife; three foot gash down the thigh of his suit, like this”, he said, holding his hands apart to demonstrate, one hand brushing against Stephen’s chest as he did. Tony sighed affectionately as he shoved his hands back in his coat pockets. “I swear, that kid’s going to be the death of me.” Stephen couldn’t help the surge of warmth overwhelming his chest; one thing never failed to make Tony happy and that was Peter.

“But you love him.”

“Of course”, Tony muttered without hesitation. “I mean, he doesn’t listen to a word I say and he’s almost getting himself killed constantly. I’m surprised he hasn’t actually landed me in the hospital with a heart attack yet. I’d say he gets it from me, but it’s not like we share blood.”

“I think you’ve rubbed off on him enough that that doesn’t matter”, Stephen chuckled.

“Hey”, Tony elbowed him gently, feigning offence. “You’re probably right. Well, this is me.” He stopped suddenly and Stephen’s heart sank as he found them standing in front of the familiar orange Audi.

“You don’t do inconspicuous well, do you?” Tony regarded the car as if he was noticing its bright paint job for the first time, edge of his mouth turned up in an amused grin.

“No, not really”, he agreed, turning to the sorcerer with a lazy eye roll. “Thanks for breakfast, Doc. I’ll let you know how the team takes the collaboration idea.” He clapped Stephen warmly on the shoulder, gripping him for a second as if he were about to say something else, but let go with a minute shake of his head. Stephen felt his cheeks flush as they walked around to the driver side, Tony ducking in while Stephen held the umbrella out for him.

“Tell Peter I say hi”, he choked out in a sudden, desperate attempt to prolong…whatever had just happened. The entire morning felt like an amazing, dream-like stupor right now. 

“Tell him yourself”, Tony snarked back good-naturedly with a smirk. “He’s coming over for movie night on Friday, if you’re still coming, that is.” The billionaire looked at him from under his lids, looking like he should have been peering over the tops of his shades. 

“Of course. I should be able to make it as long as none of the universes have other plans for me.” Tony snorted with a nod and secret grin to himself.

“Right, right. Inter dimensional space and time, monsters and all that, right?”

“Something like that”, Stephen agreed, meeting his eyes. “See you later, Tony.”

“See ya, Doc.”

Stephen walked around the front of the car, stepping back up onto the curb as the Audi pulled out and sped away, offering a wave that might have gone unnoticed. The heavy rain thrummed on his umbrella, taunting him in his dry, warm coat. Several thousand memories passed in the illusioned light of the rain as lightning cracked over the horizon, years of smiles and pain trapped inside his head every time he closed his eyes. Suddenly, the tassels of the red scarf around his neck were brushing against his cheek softly, questioningly.

“I’m okay”, he muttered, and he could tell that Levi didn't believe him, but settled back on his shoulders anyway. “It’ll be okay.”

Stephen walked back down the rain-soaked sidewalk, hope bubbling in his chest, already memorizing the feeling of Tony’s hand in his, the soft inside of his wrist exposed. Trusting. His shoes clacked rhythmically with the sound of a million raindrops as he walked, and the sorcerer smiled, the clouds above holding a turning point in the future that was always meant to be.


	2. Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen goes to Tony’s for movie night OR Stephen observing the Iron fam in their natural habitat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Final projects and exams are here and I'm dying, but everyone's love for the first chapter made me really excited to finish this one, so here you go! Hope you enjoy!!
> 
> First chapter was a little bittersweet, this one is pure, unadulterated fluff, and the third chapter is going to be hurt/comfort. Also, I love these guys so much, Iron fam + Stephen is my everything. I am Stephen in this situation, Stephen is me. Don’t make me make decisions, I am the most compliant person on earth.
> 
> Tony to Peter, at any given time: “The adults are talking.”
> 
> Rhodey be knowing…

The two days after his meeting with Tony were the longest of Stephen’s life.

It was technically three days, seeing as they had met so early in the morning on Wednesday, so waiting for Friday night seemed like a cruel and unusual form of torture. 

It was 6:00 on Friday evening when he opened a gateway to Tony’s apartment, spending several minutes convincing Levi to stay at the Sanctum before he had the courage to walk up to the door. Knocking on the door, heart hammering in his chest, Stephen clenched his hand nervously, damaged fingers shaking worse than usual. The door was thrown open and all his fears melted away in an instant under warm, brown eyes and a smile like the sun.

“Hey, Doc! I didn’t hear a car pull up, did you teleport in?”

“They’re inter dimensional gateways drawing on-,”, Stephen started to explain, stopping when he saw the teasing grin on Tony’s face. “Never mind.”

Tony inspected the six pack of cans Stephen had passed off to him, taking it without question as the sorcerer’s hands shook in relief.

“San Pellegrino”, he remarked appreciatively. “Haven’t had one of these in forever. C’mon in, everyone’s in the kitchen.” Stephen followed him, heart pounding as he tried to take calming breaths silently. He looked about the open concept kitchen and living room quickly, very acutely noticing the absence of two particular men who had made him even more nervous to come. He couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved, which was short-lived and replaced with anxiety now that there was another factor of uncertainty.

“Doc’s here! He brought Italian.” Peter looked up from his phone in confusion, legs swinging from his perch on the island countertop.

“Hi, Doctor Strange. Wait, Italian? Food?”

“Soda”, Tony clarified, holding up the small case. “And we’re ordering pizza for dinner.”

“I hope that’s alright”, Stephen muttered to Tony, who gripped his shoulder quickly before letting go.

“Yeah, of course. Any and all non alcoholic beverages are appreciated around here, right, Pete?”

“Yeah”, the teen confirmed with a bright smile. “Ned and I love the grapefruit ones.”

“Besides”, Tony continued, grabbing two chilled glasses from the fridge. “Been sober five years, Doc. I can’t give up on that just ‘cause Happy’s having a midlife crisis.” Stephen blinked.

“Pardon?”

“He’s starting brewing his own beer”, Peter supplied, having set his phone down. “That’s where he and Mr. Rhodey are right now.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards a door that looked like it led to the garage. 

“You can check it out, but I wouldn't recommend having any. Uh, don’t tell Happy I said that”, Tony said. “Ice?” Stephen nodded and Peter snorted as he agreed with Tony.

“Yeah, I tried some and it tasted like dishwater”, the teen giggled, earning a light slap on his arm from Tony.

“I told you not to try any, you disobedient gremlin”, he growled good-naturedly, disapproving dad face activated. Stephen’s heart warmed at the sight, suppressing memories that had never happened as they rose in his chest. “It’s low alcohol, not zero alcohol.”

“Sorry”, Peter said, not looking sorry at all, deftly catching the can of soda Tony chucked at his head.

“Right, sure you are”, he muttered, handing Stephen the glass of soda he’d poured. “Okay, I’m gonna order the pizzas now otherwise Rhodey and Happy will be fighting over toppings for the next hour. What are you feeling, Underoos?”

“Just pepperoni and cheese”, Peter replied, scrolling through his phone again as he laid back on the island. “But no anchovies on my side, please? I almost lost my lunch last time.”

“Anchovies are good, you just don’t have any taste.” Tony clicked his tongue, swatting Peter with a dish towel. “Feet off the counter. What about you, Doc? Any allergies?”

“No, I’m good with anything.” Stephen had preferences, of course, but he didn’t want to come off as picky, especially to Rhodey or Happy, who had yet to emerge from the garage.

“Well, what would you prefer?”, Tony pressed as he dialled the number.

“Whatever you guys get is fine.”

“You really might want to make a choice”, Peter advised, giving him a cautious look. “They get some weird shit on their pizza.”

“No, we don’t”, Tony scoffed.

“Tomatoes, anchovies, and pineapple on one pizza is weird, Mr. Stark!”, Peter insisted.

“I’m always good with Hawaiian”, Stephen relented. Tony gave him a single handed finger gun as he nodded.

“Good, so is Rhodey. You guys can share a large.” Tony then began to ramble off a string of sizes and toppings as he walked into the living room, the worker on the other end of the phone somehow keeping up with his rapid-pace way of talking usually reserved for techno babble.

“So”, Stephen started, leaning against the counter opposite from Peter. “Heard that Happy’s dating your aunt. Uh, how’s that going?” Peter responded by lifting his oversized hood up and over his face.

“Fine”, came the muffled reply.

“That bad, eh?” Peter sat up without pulling his hoodie down.

“No, I like Happy, it’s just…weird. It’s like the two separate parts of my life are coming together and I don’t know how to feel about it, you know? I guess that sounds kinda selfish.” Stephen shook his head.

“Not at all. You’re entitled to feel however you want. It would be weird after it just being you and your aunt for so long.”

“Yeah-“, Peter agreed, quickly cutting himself short. He pulled his hood off and fixed Stephen with a confused look. “Wait, how do you know that?” _Fuck_ , Stephen thought. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._ Peter had never told him about losing his Uncle Ben. In fact, most of what he knew about the boy was from what he’d seen while he went through the fourteen million possibilities on Titan.

“Uh, Tony mentioned it once. In passing.” _Good job, Stephen, you’re already lying to these people._ “Don’t be mad at him.”

“No, ‘course not. And you’re right, I’ve gotten used to it being just me and May. But the weird part is her knowing about my powers. And then seeing Happy, like, not doing Avengers stuff or when I visit Mr. Stark. That part’s a little…uncomfortable.”

“I’m sure it will get better. These kind of things just take time.” _And I’ve seen all of the futures where Happy becomes like a favourite uncle to you, probably including this one._

“Hope so.” Stephen stiffened as he heard the door to the garage open and a semi-familiar voice called out.

“Tony! You’ve got mice in the garage again! I told you to quit leaving sandwiches lying around when you're working on stuff.” Rhodey stepped inside and held his hands up in confusion at the lack of Tony.

“Where is he?”

“He’s on the phone, Mr. Rhodey. Ordering pizza.” Rhodey’s brow lowered.

“Oh, he better not be getting anchovies.” The colonel stopped himself as he noticed Stephen, obviously thrown off, but quickly recovering as he stepped forward to shake his hand. “Doctor Strange, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Same here. And Stephen’s fine.” Stephen’s heart was thudding heavily with anxiety, but the colonel’s smile was welcoming, grip steady as he didn’t shy away from the scars on his hands.

“Jim. Or Rhodey when Tony’s around. He likes to pretend he doesn’t know who I am when people use my first name, so, you know, keep that in mind.”

“I consider myself warned”, Stephen said, grinning as Tony snuck from the living room and ambushed his friend from behind, arms hanging around his neck loosely with a relaxed grin on his face.

“I don’t know any Jim? Do you, Rhodey? Have you ever heard of this Jim person? He definitely sounds like someone who’d like anchovies on his pizza”, he teased, backing up Rhodey’s warning. 

“You better hope you didn’t”, the colonel warned, twisting to get his friend in a headlock. The sudden rough housing jolted Stephen’s fight or flight response, making him grateful for the counter he was leaning against. Anytime he’d experienced family members fighting, it was for real, with words of malice or fists aimed to damage. But this was gentle, loving almost as Tony was careful of Rhodey’s leg braces and Rhodey made sure to never even touch Tony’s left arm, making Stephen wonder how long he’d been having issues with it. 

“Alright, girls, that’s enough.” Happy walked into the kitchen carrying a few chilled beer bottles. Stephen could see him jolt when their eyes met, though the other man’s face relaxed as he smirked and addressed Tony.

“So, this is the famous wizard you won’t shut up about?”, he accused in a playful tone, causing Stephen to hide his slight blush behind a sip of his drink. Tony gaped in offence from his place in Rhodey’s choke hold, cheeks earning a darker tint of their own.

“Can it, Hap. I knew I was right not to order the mozzarella sticks.” Peter sat up on the counter as Happy rounded on Tony also.

“You forgot the mozzarella sticks?”, they accused, almost in unison. Stephen smiled quietly to himself. Those two were going to get along just fine.

“I didn’t forget them”, Tony wheezed as Rhodey tickled his side before he finally pulled free, face red from laughing, hair dishevelled. “I purposely didn’t order them.” He walked over to the taller man, nose raised, daring him to make a thing out of it. “Whatcha gonna do, Hap?”

“You’re a cruel, little man”, Happy glowered testily, but even Stephen could see it was all for show. “But I’m not wrestling with you. What’s your guest gonna think?” Tony smiled, like a kid coming down from an adrenaline high, and he gave Stephen a knowing look.

“He knows I probably deserve it.” Stephen was able to return his smirk, the unsteady rhythm of his heart able to level out as he made himself realize that the fighting wasn’t real. They weren’t mad at each other, this was how they interacted and everyone was safe. It might take a little getting used to, but that was something Stephen was looking forward to. 

“What are we watching?”, Peter suddenly piped up from his spot on the counter. Stephen wondered idly if he liked being in high places because of his spider DNA. 

“We’re tossing for it, pulling it out of a hat or something”, Rhodey said quickly. “This is not gonna turn into a two hour debate, okay?”

“You know Tony’ll just rig it”, Happy said, leaning against the island beside Peter. Tony gasped.

“I would not. I’m appalled that you would even-.”

“Well, we have to make it fair somehow”, Rhodey countered.

“Doc picks!”, Tony declared, hands spread wide. “He’s the only impartial party.”

“How am I-?”, Stephen’s brow furrowed as he suddenly became the centre of attention.

“Impartial how?”, Happy asked challengingly, saving him from the spotlight.

“He wasn’t part of the movie night fiasco of 2015”, Tony said slyly, with slight trepidation that made Stephen curious despite himself. 

“Neither was I”, Peter pointed out as he raised his hand.

“Hold on, kid. The adults are talking”, Tony shushed him distractedly, making vague hand movements in the teen’s direction, before focusing his attention on Stephen again. “One question, though, Doc? Have you ever watched _Top Gun_?” There was a loud groan from Rhodey before Stephen could even think of answering.

“Do not make me watch _Top Gun_ again! I will physically harm every single person in this room.”

“So, that’s a no”, Stephen grinned nervously. 

“C’mon, sour patch”, Tony wheedled. “It’s a classic.”

“Classic, my ass. The only way you’d ever get me to watch that movie again is if-.” Rhodey stopped himself as he noticed Tony’s eyes lighting up. “Never mind.”

The doorbell rang, breaking up the movie debate as Tony called Peter to help him with the pizza, and Rhodey announced he was going to the garage to grab another beer from the fridge. This left Stephen and Happy, levelling each other as they each leaned against one side of the counters, the sorcerer tensing slightly as the other man came to stand beside him.

“So”, Happy started, his tone low. “You were on that alien planet with Tony, right?”

“Titan. Yes.” Stephen didn’t mean for his voice to sound so clipped. He was nervous.

“Right. And you saved his ass.”

“Well, I’d say we more saved each other’s…asses.” 

“Right. And what are your intentions?” There was a beat of silence as Stephen froze, mind reeling before Happy nodded and there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he nudged Stephen’s arm gently. 

“I’m just messing with you. Stephen, right?” Stephen relaxed with a grin.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Tony just always calls you ‘Doc’, so I wasn’t 100% sure, you know?”

“Right.” Stephen wanted to know, everything in him was screaming to ask, _‘You said Tony talks about me all the time? What did you mean by that? What does he say? All the time as in daily or every once in a while?’_ But his thoughts were interrupted as Tony and Peter came back into the kitchen, calling to Rhodey that the food was here. 

“Mr. Stark was lying, Happy”, Peter announced with a large grin, handing the man one of the boxes. “He got the mozzarella sticks.”

“You do love me”, Happy said in all seriousness as he faced Tony, who brushed him off with a chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re getting soft in your old age.”

“Who’s getting soft?”, Rhodey asked as he walked back into the kitchen. 

“Happy”, Stephen supplied, as Tony had his head in a cupboard as he rummaged around for plates.

“I’m not soft, I just want mozzarella sticks.”

“Yeah, well, so do I, so don’t hog them”, Peter said, trying to swipe the box from the taller man.

“Settle down, kids”, Tony chided gently, producing a stack of plates which were quickly claimed as everyone grabbed their slices of pizza. Stephen hung back, not wanting to seem pushy, starting a little as he felt Tony handing him a plate, big brown eyes too gentle as they looked at him.

“Get in there, Doc, or there isn’t going to be any left. They’re practically vultures.” Stephen was about to protest, to say that he was fine waiting until everyone took what they wanted, but Tony’s hand on his shoulder silenced him. It was a soft weight, the engineer’s hand warm and solid through the fabric of Stephen’s button-down that he’d spent an hour picking out. This was right. He was grounded before Tony let his hand slide off and he jostled in position beside Rhodey, prompting Stephen to grab a few slices of Hawaiian, to take what ever he wanted. It was alright, everyone else was already comfortable enough to do so without prompting, but Tony was treating him specially, and it made Stephen self conscious. But self conscious in a good way, like Tony could read him and knew he wasn’t going to arrogantly take his place in a new situation. He wasn’t like that anymore. 

They all settled in the living room, Happy and Peter in the two armchairs at each end of the coffee table, Tony in the middle of Stephen and Rhodey on the sofa while he queued up his Netflix account. The smell of assorted types of pizza filled the room, along with the tangy fragrance of beer and soda, and Stephen thought he had never felt a moment so relaxed as he sat back in the leather sofa.

“Okay, we still didn’t settle on a movie”, Tony started cautiously, eyes landing on Stephen hopefully.

“I really don’t want to get in the middle of another debate.”

“ _The Last Jedi_ ”, Peter whisper chanted from behind his cup, earning a decisive glare from Happy.

“No. No Star Wars.”

“C’mon, Hap”, Tony said, switching the movie on. “It’s the only movie that isn’t going to cause half an hour of arguing.”

“Are you guys always this…enthusiastic about your movie choices?”, Stephen asked with a small laugh, grabbing his soda from the coffee table.

“We have very different tastes”, Rhodey explained dryly. 

“Yeah, if you consider solely Disney movies as ‘having taste’”, Happy grumbled, earning an aghast look from Peter.

“Hey! At least I don’t watch old, British people shows.”

“Downton Abbey is-.”

“Happy”, Tony interrupted. “We know you’ll defend that show till your last breath, but let’s just watch the movie, okay?” Everyone settled into their pizza with agreeing mumbles as Tony asked Friday to dim the lights, which allowed Stephen a sigh of relief as he hadn’t realized how self-conscious he’d been feeling. The darkened room was silent save for the movie starting until Peter spoke.

“I can’t see my pizza”, he whispered.

“Use your spidey senses”, Tony hoarsely whispered back.

“They can’t see in the dark, Mr. Stark”, Peter countered, still whispering.

“Friday, lights back on”, Tony huffed, sending the kid a begrudging look which came off as fond. Stephen’s heart warmed at the sight; millions of memories told him what that look said; Tony would die for this kid, he would do everything to keep him safe and happy, and seeing as the teen was blissfully eating his weight in mozzarella sticks at the moment, it seemed Tony was doing a good job of it. 

Stephen’s face must have been betraying how deep in thought he was, as Tony nudged his arm gently.

“You okay?”, Tony stage-whispered as the movie got louder.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“This probably isn’t what you were expecting, huh?”

“No, it’s even better.” This seemed to satisfy Tony as he sat back again, while Stephen allowed himself a secret smile as he realized what he said was true. All trepidation he’d had about meeting Happy and Rhodey for real was washed away as he found that Tony’s friends, his real ones, were just as kind and open as the billionaire himself. Stephen was used to judgement, constantly vying for position, respect, power. This was easy, this was relaxed. It was like what he imagined home might feel like if he still had one. 

“We should have got salad”, Rhodey said suddenly, not attempting to whisper in the least. Peter shot him an offended look, but said nothing as he went back to being enthralled by the movie he’d likely already seen countless times. 

“Why would you say that?”, Tony asked, sounding genuinely concerned. “This pizza’s amazing.”

“I’m just saying, between the pizza and the beer and the mozza sticks, it feels like a lot of carbs.”

“More for me, then”, Happy said, earning his own silent look from Peter. 

“Well, there’s lettuce and caesar in the fridge, Jenny Craig, but whoever catches me willingly eating salad can shoot me on the spot.”

“Oh, come on, Tony”, Stephen teased. “You’ve gotta have some sort of balance.”

“Thank you”, Rhodey said to Stephen pointedly, looking over Tony’s head. “I’ve been working at him to eat healthier for years, but he doesn’t listen to me. I swear, he’s been eating solely coffee, pizza, and donuts since his college days.”

“This is what I was saying about you two meeting up”, Tony said, waving a slice of pizza at them both accusingly. “Bad news for me. I knew I was gonna get ganged up on.

“Tones-.”

“Look out, it’s the nutrition police!”

“Mr. Stark! Sshhh."

“Sorry, kid. I’m just saying, health nuts one and two need to take a chill pill.” Rhodey sighed as he set his plate on the coffee table

“Well, this health nut is gonna go make a salad”, he said, patting Tony’s stomach quickly, standing to avoid his retaliating swat. “Stephen, you in?”

“Sure, do you need a hand?”

“No, I got it. I got it.” Tony watched his friend walk to the kitchen with an impish grin before turning back to Stephen, eyes glittering with amusement. 

“I guess if an actual doctor is telling me I need to cut back, then I guess I’ll be dieting from now on.” Stephen smirked at his smart aleck jab, electrified by the dark eyes challenging him playfully.

“Nobody said anything about dieting. Just throw a green or two into your meals once in awhile”, Stephen said, turning back to the movie when he felt his heart beating in his throat.

“Whatever you say, Doc.”

Salad was made and eaten, several leaves stolen by Tony from Stephen and Rhodey’s bowls despite what he’d said earlier, leaving the sorcerer a blushing mess when Tony licked caesar dressing off his own fingers. 

“Anyone need a refill?”, Stephen offered, getting up a little too quickly. 

“Yes, please”, Peter said, not taking his eyes off the movie. Happy and Rhodey both agreed they were done with beer for the night, but they wouldn’t mind trying a San Pellegrino. Stephen took Peter’s cup and starting walking to the kitchen.

“I’ll give you a hand”, Tony announced, trailing after him into the kitchen, and Stephen felt his heart lurch pleasantly. Oh, god, he was just too soft and warm with food, too close as he grabbed the cans from the fridge and directed Stephen to the ice machine. His arm almost brushed against Stephen as he grabbed some glasses, one slipping from his grip which Stephen caught with a simple levitation spell. “Thanks”, Tony muttered, gripping his own left hand to ease its sudden tremors. 

“You still need to get that checked out, hmm?”, Stephen tried to say as nonchalantly as possible, busying himself with the ice.

“Yeah, it’s a bugger, I’ve just been putting it off. Always had more important things to deal with, you know?” Stephen nodded empathetically, though he didn’t look at Tony. He knew he wouldn’t be able to handle the vulnerable look in his eyes without doing something rash. 

“Hopefully you’ll be able to make some time for yourself now that things have settled down a bit”, he rumbled, voice low as he cracked the cans open, feeling Tony’s gaze follow his movements. “You deserve it.”

“Thanks”, Tony muttered again as the sorcerer handed a glass to him, hands brushing for a second before Stephen carried the other cups into the living room. Rhodey seemed to notice that something had changed while they were in the kitchen, surveying Tony with a worried look.

“Tones?” His voice was hushed, concerned, not wanting to alarm Peter.

“I’m okay. Just my arm.” The colonel didn’t respond verbally, but drew his friend in under his arm, asking Friday to lower the lights. The din of the movie was almost soothing as they relaxed under the gentle cloak of flickering darkness, interrupted by flashes of light from the tv screen. Wordlessly, Rhodey pulled a blanket from the back of the couch, pulling it over Tony, his movements practiced like he had done this hundreds of times before. He couldn’t quite reach to spread the blanket over Tony’s legs, so Stephen helped him, making sure not to let his terribly shaking hands brush against him. 

The room was warm, kept so as winter was approaching and Stephen felt himself lulled into relaxation, heavy with food, more than he’d eaten at once in a long time, the fizzing sweetness of soda reducing him to a slouched form pressed back into the soft leather sofa. The movie was a little loud, and didn’t interest him, but he wasn’t paying much attention to it anyway. He was more focused on revelling in how easily he had been accepted into this comfortable space, this close trio of friends who’d known each other for decades, who had been there for each other through thick and thin, and here they were, sharing their sacred time together with him. 

It felt surreal. 

Grogginess pulled at him, making it hard to remember which future they were in. There were so goddamn many; he had an eidetic memory, but it was so hard to remember sometimes. Sometimes, he wanted to forget all of them except this one. That would be so much easier than having to watch everything he said, making sure he didn’t slip up and reveal he knew something that he shouldn’t have yet, like earlier in the evening with Peter. 

It was exhausting. But this was nice. This, he could get used to.

He could feel Tony beside him, so very close. Rhodey had moved to the other end of the sofa, so Tony could lay down, head wedged against his friend’s side. His eyes were closed, drowning out the noise of the movie somehow, though it was obvious by his breathing that he wasn’t asleep yet.

Stephen was overwhelmed with protective affection for this man. And awe. He’d never seen Tony like this. Not for real, not in person. Soft. Defenceless. And completely willing to be. On Titan, he’d been all armour and frantic, hard calculations, armour not just around his body, but his heart. That Tony had been a completely different person. Here, he was like putty, comically cat-like as he snuggled into Rhodey’s side, cheek smushed, big Bambi lashes brushing his cheeks. Stephen couldn’t describe the feeling in his chest at the sight, but he knew he would do anything to gain Tony’s trust. Sure, it might take years, but he wanted to get to know the golden heart stored inside this brave, broken, strong, loving man. And if that meant becoming a part of this full time, hopefully - Vishanti, all he could do was hope - well, that would be more than worth it. 

Stephen almost choked, overwhelmed, like something warm and heavy was sitting on his chest, but in a good way. He hadn’t had something like this in-… No, he’d never had this, actually. This was hope. This was home. This might have just been a casual invite for a movie night, but it wasalso so much more. 

The movie was almost over and, sometime during, Tony’s feet had found their way onto Stephen’s lap. It wasn’t disrespect, it was a sign of trust and comfort, and Stephen took it as such, almost disappointed when the credits finally rolled and Tony forced himself into an upright position.

“What time ’s it?”, Tony asked, voice thick with sleep, hair dishevelled beyond repair.

“9:30”, Rhodey supplied dryly with an amused grin. “You want us to get out of your hair, old man?”

“N’. S-stay. ’S fine.” Tony’s head found it’s way back to Rhodey’s shoulder who nudged him again.

“C’mon, mister. I gotta get going and you can’t sleep on the couch, or you’re gonna mess up your back.” His words brought Happy out of his half-asleep state as well, sitting up slightly as he addressed Peter.

“Yeah. That means you too, Peter. May wanted us home before 10.” The only response from the teen, who was currently sprawled like a pretzel in his chair, was to stick his tongue out slightly and nestle into his hoodie further. Surprisingly, it was Tony who prompted him into untangling himself from his comfortable nest. 

“C’mon, Underoos. The big, mean adults have a point.” Tony stumbled to his feet and held his arms out to Peter, so the teen had no choice but to stand and return the hug. “We still on for Sunday afternoon?”

“Yeah, of course”, Peter said, voice muffled with sleep and Tony’s sweater, face pressed into his shoulder. Stephen felt his heart melt as he watched them; in millions of other futures, they had been his everything, but he hadn’t looked any farther past them winning in this one. He didn’t know what was going to happen between the three of them, whether they would grow closer or not, but he could hope.

“I’m gonna check the copper, and then we’ll be heading out, Peter”, Happy informed the teen as he headed to the garage, Rhodey standing at the same time. 

“Thanks for dinner, Tones. Make sure you call me about that appointment on Monday”, he said, giving the groggy man a hug before turning to Stephen. “Nice to meet you, man. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.” Stephen took his hand with a grin, feeling like the other man meant more than he was saying, but he was hard to read and Stephen was still a little disorientated.

“Yeah, for sure. Good to meet you too.” The colonel left and Peter dropped back into his chair to wait for Happy, leaving Stephen and Tony standing as their eyes met.

“I’ll see you out, Doc? I’m sure you’ve got more important stuff to do than hanging around here, anyway.”

“Not really”, Stephen admitted as he followed him to the front door. “Not at the moment, at least. And I really enjoyed tonight. Thank you.” Tony regarded him quizzically, eyes still cloudy with sleep, but the underlying bright intelligence was there.

“Yeah? Good, good. I’m glad. We should, uh-yeah, don’t be a stranger, alright?”

“Right, of course. And let me know how the meeting goes with the-oh, is that what Rhodey was talking about?”

“Yeah”, Tony said, keeping his voice low so Peter couldn’t hear. “He seems to think nothing good can come of me putting anymore effort into them, but-oh, well. We’ll see how it goes.” He drew a tired hand down his face, but then seemed more awake as he met Stephen’s eyes. “He liked you, though, and that’s saying a lot. Rhodey doesn’t like anyone.”

“Glad I could make the cut”, Stephen said, returning his grin. “Thanks again for having me.”

“Anytime”, Tony replied, one corner of his mouth pulling up in that endearing half smile he had, drawing Stephen in for a quick, one-armed hug before the sorcerer realized what was happening. A strong arm linked around his back, Tony’s cheek pressed to his shoulder before pulling back, head ducked as he opened the door. “See ya, Doc.” Stephen backed out the door, letting himself revel in the man before him, sleep soft and kind, giving him a tired smile that made his heart pound.

“See you, Tony.”


	3. Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony visits Stephen at the Sanctum the Monday after movie night. He just returned from the compound and letting the Avengers know about his collaboration idea with the sorcerers, which didn't go well. He goes to the Sanctum with the intention of just filling Stephen in, but ends up having a bit of a breakdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pining, book worm Stephen is best Stephen.
> 
> (Sorry this update took forever, I've been having a terrible migraine the past few days. Hope you enjoy the last chapter of this small fic! (Though I might consider doing another chapter depending on the response this one gets...))

Rain pattered on the Sanctum window heavily, not letting up since the night before, as if the clouds were trying to rid themselves of all their weight before the first snow was allowed.

Old book spines rattled beneath his fingertips as Stephen dumped a tall pile of manuscripts on his desk, gearing up for a dreary evening of research, with plenty of tea to keep the damp and cold out of his hands. Wong had been at Kamar Taj, training new sorcerers in basic martial arts since Saturday morning, so Stephen had spent the better part of the weekend holed up in his overly large armchair, wrapped up in Levi with his nose buried in various ancient texts, catching up on some mystic lore more than actual research. Once Monday morning had rolled around, finding Stephen drowsy by lamplight in the wee hours, lost in tales of ancient rituals, he’d finally convinced himself that he would get some real work done today. Early dawn rolled into mid morning and Stephen had finally uncurled himself from his chair to go take a shower. He had changed into a sweater and a soft pair of jeans, ignoring the chill of the rain creeping through the window panes as he went into the kitchenette to put on a another pot of tea. Morning devolved into the afternoon, the hours passing steadily as Stephen read diligently, taking notes in his journal as he worked through several thick volumes. He was a fast reader, and his notes were minimal thanks to his photographic memory, though he couldn’t help but stifle a yawn not long after the clock in the hall struck four p.m. 

He hadn’t properly slept for a few days, just letting his body rest as he shifted into astral form, still pouring over texts for hours. It was while he was in the astral plane that he’d let his mind wander from the words in front of him a few times, back to Friday evening, and even further back to Wednesday morning. He’d been getting closer with Tony, that much was apparent, but the question of how far their relationship would go was what kept Stephen up at night. These little bittersweet thoughts that nagged at his mind like a mosquito buzzing by his ear, asking him the same questions over and over. They asked of what chance he thought he might truly have with a man as great as Tony Stark. The Tony Stark. In these moments, Stephen didn’t have a confident enough retort to quell the worries this question brought to surface, dissolving in self-doubt. He’d bundle himself down more securely in his sweater, or pull Levi around his shoulders more tightly, frowning slightly as he tried to keep out further intrusive thoughts. 

Stephen pulled himself out of his seat with a small grunt, knees cracking as he stood and headed to the kitchen to put the kettle on for the fourth time today. He could have used a gateway or magic to do so, but it gave him a chance to stretch his legs and work the kinks out of his back.

It also gave him the chance to divulge into his numerous thoughts about Tony, especially concerning some of the recent developments. Friday had been every thing he could have hoped it to be. After seeing each other five times in total since the events on Titan, Stephen allowed himself to dare to hope that he wasn’t just imagining them getting closer. Tony didn’t seem quite so defensive as he had at first, even less so after the battle. He was a little more trusting, a little more open every time they saw each other: First the “we-saved-the-Earth” party, the short, awkward meeting called by Director Fury in a sort of regrouping effort, their secret rendezvous at the Sanctum after they had expressed interesting in teaming up with each other, and finally the secondary arranged meeting which had turned into eating breakfast together. 

Then movie night. That night had exposed a side of Tony that Stephen had never seen before. Tony with his friends, his true friends, was open, gentle, at-ease, and even more caring than the sorcerer could have ever expected. But the worst part was that he did expect it. He’d seen millions of future realities, after all, showing Tony as his closest friend, his lover, his husband. In his mind, he’d gotten to know every part of this amazing man intimately. Yes, that was the worst part. Because it was all in his mind, trapped by the confines of his own head, taunting him with what would never be, giving him a taste of his dream reality before ripping it away and moving on to the next one. 

Over, and over, and over. 

And his goddamn eidetic memory wouldn’t let him forget. It was bad enough he had to go through those futures once, but to see them repeatedly on replay in his own minds’ eye for months now? It would be fair to say it kept him up at night. His astral form, at least. 

Stephen sighed, noticing that the kettle had obviously been whistling for a while as he was lost in his thoughts. He could feel the vapour making its way through the sleeve of his cable knit, steam rising as he poured the remaining boiling water into a tall mug already containing a tiny cloth satchel of dried cloves and ginger. He would have to do his best to push all thoughts of Tony out of his mind while he focused on his research, or he’d likely never get anything done. Wong had already scolded him for hours wasted daydreaming as he sat at one of the windows overlooking the city, a far away look on his face while his tea grew cold in his hands. Stephen snorted quietly at the thought: How was it that one man had reduced him to a pining teenager?

He settled at his desk again, collection of old texts stacked high and spread out as far as his wide desk would allow. The springs in the plush seat of his chair creaked as he sat, meticulously arranging his current book, journal, and tea so that his mug wasn’t in any danger of being knocked over. Stephen tried to focus on reading without using any mental blocks, but soon found this was impossible as the short break had opened up a floodgate of memories which had never happened, the familiar sour feeling in this throat accompanying this pseudo reality. Tony. Waking up with Tony, eating breakfast with Tony, attempting to cook a proper meal which ended in a disastrous mess with Tony. It’s all he could think about. Tony getting killed on Titan, Tony getting killed while fighting a mystic threat alongside Stephen, Tony’s eyes losing their light as Stephen cradled his head and told him he loved him. Again, and again, and again. He had memories to spare, enough memories for more than a dozen people with a million lifetimes each. But they were his alone to bare. And they were so goddamn loud sometimes. Stephen hunched forward, elbows on the pages of a book as he pressed his hands to his ears, but there was no shutting it out. 

A knock on the front door of the Sanctum drew Stephen out of his head, but only once he was able to differentiate it from the pounding of his heart. Rising from his desk quickly, head swimming, Stephen slipped his sling ring on and quickly opened a gateway to the front foyer. No one knocked on the door of the Sanctum. Those who were meant to be here or knew their way around let themselves in, and most passersby knew to avoid the old, mysterious building as if there were a spell surrounding it which warded off unwanted visitors. Maybe this person was too dense to feel it.

Or this person was Tony Stark. 

Stephen blinked blankly for a few seconds upon opening the door, peering around the thick hardwood onto the grey street, focusing on the shorter man perched on the step below him. Tony’s suit matched the navy blue umbrella keeping the steady downpour from soaking him through, looking up at the sorcerer as relief overtook the haunted look on his face.

“Tony”, Stephen greeted, opening the door a little further to look a little more welcoming and less ‘owl-peering-out-of-a-tree’. “I wasn’t expecting you. Are you alright?” Tony shoved a hand into the pocket of his dress pants, glancing sideways almost sheepishly under the cover of his aviators.

“Yeah, sorry to spring a surprise visit on ya, Doc. I was hoping we could, uh…just have a quick chat, you know? If you’re not too busy…” Stephen caught himself.

“Yes, of course. And you’re not imposing at all, I just…” What was he? Beyond flustered that Tony had turned up to his home unexpectedly? Yes, but he couldn’t say that. “I just didn’t think I’d be seeing you again this soon. C’mon in.” Tony followed him into the foyer almost robotically after shaking out his umbrella. An umbrella stand appeared beside him and he placed his umbrella in it with a slightly raised brow, mostly focused on the tall figure in front of him. 

“You were in the neighbourhood, I take it?”, Stephen asked over his shoulder as he gestured for Tony to follow him up the stairs to the second floor. Tony nodded distractedly, taking his shades off and folding them. He was looking around the Sanctum as if he expected an ambush at any second, scanning the entire room even though he had been there once before. 

“Uh, yeah. Well, no. I was Upstate, but I thought it might be better to have this conversation sooner than later.” They reached the second floor and Stephen guided him towards the kitchenette which he had claimed as his own. “And in person’s better than over the phone, anyway.” 

“Sure, of course”, Stephen replied, as he nervously surveyed the scattered mess that was his work area. He felt like he was baring his entire soul, showing his living quarters in their current state to an unexpected guest. A guest who was Tony, no less. Said billionaire was wandering a little while Stephen fiddled with the kettle, off-handedly admiring several of the relics with a slight frown as he walked about. He stopped in front of a velvet-padded wood box, ornately carved with pure gold hinges and latch, the lid open as its contents were on display.

“These are…something”, he remarked, pointing with a finger at one of the Wands of Watoomb. They had stayed in the reading nook off the foyer last time Tony had been here, so he had never seen any of the impressive, and sometimes delicate items on display in the Sanctum.

“Sorcerers’ relics”, Stephen explained. “They’re used to direct energy from different dimensions, especially that which is too intense to be controlled by the human body. That wand can be used to fight, block mystical attacks, or even heal the wielder. Tea?” Tony look apprehensive.

“Er, I don’t usually. Coffee’s more…the usual for me, I guess.” Stephen smiled a little, reassuringly, he hoped.

“It’s not all weird. I have orange pekoe.” Tony continued to waltz around the glass cases as he nodded, hands still jammed in his pockets.

“Sure, that would work.” Tony bent at the waist to inspect an ancient battle helmet and Stephen expected him to have a comment or two about the crude craftsmanship, but he merely nodded and made his way to the kitchen. “Pretty wild stuff that you’ve got in here. Some of it seems a little outdated, but impressive nonetheless.”

“Magic isn’t affected by time like technology is. Even spells that are thousands of years old are still relevant today.” Tony nodded as his gaze continued to drift around, anywhere but the sorcerer’s face. Stephen noticed he was gripping his left wrist almost subconsciously, but didn’t say anything, as he figured the last thing Tony needed today was someone nagging at him. He was…distracted, that was for sure. Considering Tony was usually the one scanning, watching, looking for minute changes in people’s body language or tone, Stephen felt like he was looking at a ghost of a man. 

“Are you…okay, Tony?”, the sorcerer asked tentatively. 

“No”, Tony responded, grabbing his left wrist again, almost like a reflex. “No, uh, n-not really. There’s a lot of shit going on right now.” He drew a hand down his face. “Can we sit? I’m feeling a little-.” He gestured to his temple with one finger. “I’m feeling a little light-headed.” Stephen nodded as he stepped forward.

“Sure, just over here.” He directed him to the low, padded window seat right beside the kitchenette, levitating the coffee table out of the way by several inches as Tony nearly tripped on it. He stumbled, one hand covering his eyes as he sat and hunched over his own knees.

“S-sorry. Sorry, Doc. I wasn’t planning on this. I wasn’t gonna come over here and have a panic attack on ya, I just. Fuck-.” Almost reflexively, Stephen drew the curtains of the window shut behind them, blocking out the low, grey light which was apparently still enough to be agitating Tony’s oncoming migraine. Stephen could feel it. As odd as that sounded, he was amazingly in tune to the physical state of anyone around him, when he let himself focus on them, at least. And, right now, every ounce of his focus was on Tony. 

“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s no problem”, Stephen tried to soothe. He wanted to offer physical comfort. It would be so easy, the navy fabric taut over a quaking shoulder so close to him. But the last thing he wanted to do was spook Tony, to push him away. Not when things had been going so well. He wanted to be here for him. “Can I get you some water?” Tony was still quaking, his breath coming shakily as he answered.

“Yeah, please.” Stephen made a quick movement with his hand and a glass of water appeared in it, handing it gently to Tony, who was giving him an odd look.

“What? Oh.” He hadn’t even thought about conjuring the glass, though he usually avoided using unnecessary magic in front of Tony to make him more comfortable, so he understood his surprise. “Sorry about that.”

“No.” Tony sipped the water, closing his eyes for a moment before giving Stephen an appreciative glance. “It’s pretty cool.” Stephen was grateful for the dim light of the room as he felt his face heat up acutely. Yep, definitely a pining teenager. 

“So, you wanted to talk?”, Stephen asked softly, hoping he could pull out what ever was sending Tony into a panicked fit of nerves. “Give it a minute if you need to.” Tony took another sip of the water before placing the glass on the coffee table, shaking his head slightly.

“No, I’m alright.” He straightened up slightly to unbutton his suit jacket, making Stephen realize he hadn’t been wearing a coat despite the cold, late fall weather. “Uh, well, you know how I was going to the compound today to meet up with everyone and bring up our-“, he gestured between them both. “Collaboration agreement…thingy. Anyway, it, uh, didn’t go over so smoothly, just-.” He pressed a clenched fist against his lips and sucked in a breath. Stephen could see the edge of panic in his eyes again. 

“It’s okay. Have some more water”, Stephen suggested gently. Tony shook his head again, ignoring the prompt. 

“Everyone was against it, but, god…Steve and I really went at it, I was there for freaking hours, just trying to convince him. I thought…maybe after everything, we could get past what happened…our differences with the Sokovia Accords and all that, but it was like we didn’t just keep half the universe from dying, like, what?- Six months ago?” Tony ran a hand through his hair quickly. “Wow. Doesn’t feel that long ago, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t”, Stephen agreed in a low voice. Their eyes met for a brief second, Tony’s big and deep with hurt that wouldn’t leave him, but then he looked back down at his hands clasped in front of him, rubbing his thumb along the side of his left wrist. 

“I thought things might be different. Like we could go back to how it used to be. Pretty stupid of me, I guess.”

“No, Tony, you tried to do what was best for everyone, and you still are.” Stephen swallowed, nervous about possibly overstepping his bounds. “It’s not your fault that the team fell apart.”

“Maybe I should create a new team”, Tony mused, with none of the hope in his voice that you might expect to come with that sentence. “Pull a Nick Fury on a bunch of new guys, or whoever’s willing to work closely with a bunch of sorcerers…” Stephen’s brow knitted in contemplation as he regarded Tony.

“So, none of them even considered that teaming up with the New York Sanctum might be a good idea?” Tony grimaced as he adjusted his position on the window seat.

“Not to completely trash you, Doc, but…well, that’s exactly what they did. Nat and Steve were the most aggressively against it, and everyone else followed them, of course. Bruce was freaked out by the whole idea, I could tell, but he wasn’t so obvious in his disgust. He’s a big science brain like me, so I don't blame him, but…”

“So was I, Tony. People can change.” Tony met his eyes, making Stephen realize that he had involuntarily leaned closer during their conversation. The look Tony gave him was knowing, vulnerable, with the weight of a full decade of hard trial behind it. 

“I know”, he muttered, eyes flicking over Stephen’s face. Stephen swallowed, snapping his fingers quickly when the kettle whistled from the stove top. “I know people can change. But they won’t. Rhodey couldn’t make it, so I didn’t even have him to back me up or anything.” Tony grabbed his wrist again, grimacing, but tried to hide it as he shoved his hand under his arm. 

“They weren’t on Titan”, he said suddenly, voice gravelly as he stared at the floor between his feet. Stephen’s chest clenched at his tone, memories of that battle flooding back. “They didn’t see what you can do, what your magic is capable of. You’re amazing, frankly.”

“Thank you”, Stephen muttered quietly, heart thumping heavily somewhere in his throat. His temples felt tight and his hands were shaking more than usual. Reaching his senses out, he found that the water in the kettle was cooling. “I’m going to get our tea.”

He could have just used a spell to pour the water, grab the appropriate tea bags and fixings, even levitate the full mugs over, but Stephen needed a chance to breathe. He didn’t want anything to go too quickly. Gaining Tony’s trust was his greatest wish right now, that was all, and he was honoured that he seemed to be receiving it. Stephen brought the tray back to the window seat, with the steaming mugs, a small pitcher of milk, and a jar of honey.

“I can grab cream or sugar too, if you want.” Tony reached for his mug as Stephen set the tray on the low coffee table.

“No, it’s all good. I take it black, anyway.” He took a sip of the tea, seemingly ignoring the feeling of the burning liquid in his throat. “Am I an idiot, Strange?” Stephen blinked as he looked up from putting honey in his tea.

“What? No. Of course not. Why would you-?”

“I must be if I’ve put so much time and energy into this team, trying to keep them as a team, and they still don’t give a damn about what I do or say. Shit, I had more support from you and the kid on a fucking alien ship than I’ve ever had from them.” Tony sniffed, setting his tea down so he could cradle his head in his hands. “They only want me when they need me.” His voice was strained, eyes watery as he lifted his head again. “What am I even doing?” Stephen felt sympathy ebb through his limbs, wishing he could comfort him. 

“You’re doing your best. And they obviously don’t appreciate it, so fuck them.”

“Yeah, you know, I’ve thought that so many times in the past while, but I’ve also put six years of my life into them”, Tony said, frustration clear in his voice. “It feels like a bit of a cop out, I guess…” Stephen sighed, shifting his mug in his hands as he weighted his words.

“I can’t tell you what to do, obviously, but I do know you deserve better than you’re currently getting. If you keep going as you have been, you’re going to continue to get abused and shut down. From what I can see, at least.” Tony turned to him, eyes misty, but hard.

“How do you know that?”

“Pardon?”

“What makes you think I deserve better than this? No offence, Doc, but we haven’t exactly known each other forever.” Stephen sighed again, thinking about how to word his answer without giving away everything. He couldn’t let Tony know about the futures he’d seen, there was no way.

“Well, when I looked at the fourteen million possibilities, there were parts of the past that came through in those futures. From those, I know you’re a good man, Tony. And from my own time with you, I know you have a good heart. So, you do deserve better than a team who treats you like shit.” Overwhelmed, but trying desperately to hide it, Tony swallowed roughly.

“I-I don’t know about all that, Doc. I just know I’m fucking sick of dealing with their bullshit.” He let out a shaky breath, his voice thick with tears. “I’m so goddamn tired, Stephen.” He spoke in barely a whisper and Stephen had to strain to catch his own name, heart fluttering when he heard it. He chanced a surprisingly steady hand on Tony’s shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze, moving his hand further across Tony’s shoulders when he didn’t retaliate. 

“It’s okay. I think this’ll be your chance to get away from them. You could start up another team like you said, or-.”

“Doc?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it anymore, if that’s okay.” Tony was muttering past his own hands covering his face, but he still hadn’t moved away from Stephen’s touch.

“Sure, of course.” Stephen’s heart jumped as Tony shifted sideways, pressing his head against the sorcerer’s shoulder. His brow was pinched, still gripping his left wrist as he let himself relax slightly. Tears had tracked down his face, leaving wet trails in their wake as Tony kept his eyes closed, the occasional lone tear making it past his thick eyelashes. Stephen’s breath was caught in his throat as he watched his face for any negative reaction, frozen in elated fear. 

“It’s all gonna be okay”, Stephen muttered, leaning into Tony slightly so they were more comfortably pressed together. He hooked his arm around him more securely, heart pounding all the while, so he wouldn’t slip back against the curtains pulled over the cold window behind them. Tony let out another shaky breath, exhaustion overtaking him as he relaxed fully against Stephen’s side, and his body felt small against the sorcerer’s, a protector as much as he was someone to be protected. 

Minutes ticked by, but Stephen didn’t notice any of them, drowning out even the steady thrum of rain against the window. He was completely enthralled by the man nestled against his side, breathing evening out as his tears subsided. Tony reached up to wipe his left cheek dry and, without thinking, Stephen did the same for the other. Tony opened his eyes completely as both men blinked at each other, time caught in this moment as Stephen forgot how to breathe. 

“Tony-.”

He was cut off as Tony reached up, their lips meeting as he drew the sorcerer closer with a hand cupping the back of his head. Their mouths moved together sweetly, slowly, like a song you might slow dance to, deepening as Tony sat up straighter to gain more purchase on the other man’s mouth. The initial wave of breathless shock that had hit Stephen’s chest quickly dissipated as he melted into Tony’s touch, lips unbearably soft amongst all their combined stubble, subconsciously reaching out with one hand to rest on Tony’s shoulder. Stephen’s heart was pounding at a million beats per minute, steadying slightly as he felt confident hands caressing the back of his head, moving down from his shoulder to his chest, their touch caring, but careful. 

They both pulled back, lips parted in a slight pant as Stephen remembered in that moment that he could have been breathing through his nose more. They were still holding on to each other, like one of them might float away if they let go, hands on each other’s shoulders. Brown eyes dark with a passionate fire met Stephen’s and he had to take several breaths before he could hold a coherent thought in his mind. 

“What? Uh, T-.”

He didn’t even get his full name out this time as Tony met him in a rush, though their movements were more tentative, like they’d given themselves too much time to think about the whole thing. Tony’s mouth moved softly over his and Stephen felt a pit in his stomach open up as he felt the press of tongue against his lips, asking for permission. Gentle. Asking. He allowed it. He embraced it. He could never get enough of Tony, he would take anything he would ever give, loving, shaking, completely undone. 

“This definitely wasn’t part of the plan”, Tony said suddenly, breathless, eyes still a little red, hair mussed, but gorgeous. Soft and gorgeous. 

“But it’s okay?”, Stephen asked, voice breaking, worry catching in his throat even though Tony had been the one to initiate the kiss. It was easy to feel like he was taking advantage of him when he had seen all those futures of them together and Tony hadn’t, and he hated it. 

“Perfect”, Tony assured, making Stephen crack a grin despite himself. No one had ever said something like that about him. He leaned forward this time and Tony met him greedily, hand lifting to the side of the sorcerer’s neck so his fingertips grazed the soft skin there.

“I had no idea”, Stephen gasped suddenly, face becoming even more flushed. “I didn’t think you were-.”

“I don’t think I knew either”, Tony assured. “But I should have put two and two together.” He straightened his tie a little, giving Stephen a coy grin. “It’s not like I invite just anyone over to my place for movie night. You’re, uh, you’re something else, Stephen.” Suddenly, the front door to the Sanctum opened and then slammed shut before Stephen could reply, earning a slightly disappointed look from Tony.

“That’ll be Wong back from Kamar Taj”, Stephen explained, letting his hand rest on Tony’s left forearm, where he felt his muscles involuntarily shaking. His brow knit together in concern, meeting Tony’s eyes. “You could have told me it was hurting it again. I can heal it for you, you know?”

“I did want to ask”, Tony muttered, averting his gaze, trembling slightly under Stephen’s light touch as he poured healing magic into the damaged muscles and nerves. The twitching in Tony’s arm stopped as the soothing energy settled into it, though Stephen kept his hands where they were, tracing a thumb softly over the inside of his wrist. “Thank you.”

“I don’t mind”, Stephen mumbled, cheeks hot as he inhaled and summoned some more courage. “Do you think, perhaps - I could take you out on a date for real some time? If you’d be alright with that? I know this is all a little sudden, but I-.” Tony quickly clasped his hand over Stephen’s scarred one.

“Yeah, I’d be more than alright with that. I’m free Wednesday night if that works for you.” 

“Works for me”, Stephen replied breathlessly.

“Good. Will you see me out? I’d stick around, but I don’t think I can deal with an interrogation from Wong today.”

“Of course.”

His reassuring smile was enough for Stephen to relax a little as he returned it, standing in tandem as they walked to the front door. They still hadn’t let go of each other’s hands as they walked, all the way down the tall set of stairs, to the foyer where Stephen swore he was beginning to feel his heart beating in his throat. 

“So, Wednesday”, Tony drawled, taking Stephen’s other hand as well as they faced each other. 

“I know a nice Italian place in the village”, Stephen rumbled. “Their fettuccine alfredo is to die for.” Tony raised an appreciative brow, thumb drifting softly over the scarred back of the sorcerer’s hand. 

“Sounds amazing. But you know it’s supposed to rain on Wednesday.” Stephen quirked a brow, wondering why that was relevant, but letting his grip relax under Tony’s touch.

“Last time I checked, you own an umbrella.”

“Doesn’t matter”, Tony purred, though the vulnerability he was trying to hide shone through in his eyes. “I know you’ve got me covered.” He teetered up on to his tiptoes, breath pleasantly warm and smelling like peppermint gum. “Crazy wizard”, he rasped affectionately, pressing a chaste kiss to the taller man’s lips, just in case Wong was nearby. Stephen smiled even under the press of his lips, kissing back gently before opening the door for him. 

“Can’t wait to see you again.” Tony’s umbrella materialized in the sorcerer’s hand, receiving a wide grin as he passed it over before Tony stepped out.

“See you, Stephen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning to write the kiss, it just...happened. Sometimes the boys just do what they want and I have no say in the matter <3


End file.
